TW: Rape/Non-Con, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Rythian awoke, disoriented and uncomfortable. He struggled to collect his thoughts, trying to move past the simple observation that an incredibly bright lamp was positioned directly above the table where he lay. He clenched his fists, testing his strength, only to discover that they felt as distant and numb as if they were not connected to his body. Rythian attempted to move his arms, hoping to wake his sleeping limbs, but found them impossible to lift..

Panicked, he craned his neck to look down at his body. Long white straps crossed his chest, arms, and legs, pinning him to the stainless steel table. Tensing all his muscles, Rythian jerked upwards. The straps barely budged, but the movement exhausted him. He collapsed back on the table, vision growing blurry as his eyes struggled to focus.

"Rythian," a distant hand gripped his shoulder and the scientist came into view. "You need to stay still, or I'll put you under again."

"Let me go," Rythian demanded, summoning some measure of coarse authority into his voice. Lalna's face slowly came into focus above him. His expression was harried, and the shadows beneath his eyes suggested that he had been up for far longer than usual. "What's going on?" he asked when Lalna made no move to answer his first demand.

"You're sedated right now. I've let you wake up because I want to ask you a few questions." Lalna's voice was calm, professional, and entirely foreign. He paused for a moment before asking, "What happened to you?"

"How did I get here?" Rythian countered. Lalna's concerned tone nagged at his uneasy mind. A few scenarios flitted through his head and he grasped at the most believable. Not unsurprisingly, it also happened to be one of his more paranoid ideas: Lalna must be trying to get something out of him.

"You tried to kill me," Lalna admitted. He again hesitated before going further, taking care with his words. "You weren't entirely yourself."

The mage reached back for the memory. When he knew that when he was able, he had left his home, once again intent on seeking revenge. However, his memory faded as soon after he had passed over the mountain that surrounded Blackrock. "I don't remember that," he mumbled.

"The sedative probably did that to you," Lalna told him. "It's not unusual." He glanced up at the IV bag, lifting his chin as he did so. Rythian noted with some satisfaction that a few purple fingerprints showed on his throat. "What happened to you before that?" Lalna again pressed the subject.

"It doesn't matter," the mage squinted up at him suspiciously. He doubted that Lalna would believe the truth, that he honestly didn't know what had happened, though he guessed it had been caused by endermagic. "It wouldn't make a difference if I did tell you and you tried to fix it. I'd still try to kill you."

Lalna snorted. "You couldn't kill me, Rythian." He took Rythian's wrist in his hand and slid the needle out of his arm. Rythian watched as it was removed.

"I promise you, I will kill you as soon as I get a chance."

"Do you really think I should give you another chance?" Lalna bandaged the wound. "Is that what you really want? We could fight right now," he offered. For a moment, Rythian was certain he was joking. Then Lalna unbuckled the straps that pinned the mage to the table.

"Come on," the scientist prompted him, his arms outstretched. "Come and get me." He stepped back and waited for the mage to rise.

Rythian considered him for a moment. Lalna wore no armor, but still kept his morningstar at his waist. If the mage could take that, then he had a chance. He dragged himself into a sitting position, slowly realizing just how weak Lalna's drugs had made him. His determination made him continue. Rythian pushed himself onto his feet. He swayed for a moment, bracing himself with a hand on the table. He stepped forwards, his eyes locked on Lalna.

His entire body folded beneath him, sending him crashing to his knees. Rythian rocked forward until his forehead nearly touched the floor, trying to fight back his sudden dizziness. He felt Lalna's hand again come to rest on his shoulder. "Looks like I've won this round," Lalna patted his back. Rythian scowled and slapped his hand away. The man laughed a little, and that was just too much. Rythian leaned forward and spat on Lalna's boot.

"You little bastard," the scientist chuckled. He crouched, bringing himself down to Rythian's level. He grabbed a fistful of Rythian's hair and dragged his head down to grind his face against his boot. The mage dug his fingers into Lalna's wrist, trying to dislodge his hand. Lalna dipped his head and spat on his cheek. Rythian contorted his face, screwing his eyes shut and cringing as saliva streaked down his cheek. Lalna released his grip on his hair and leaned back.

"Now that I've won, what do I get?" Lalna asked. Rythian slowly sat up, wiping his face on his sleeve. "Come on, let's get you up." Looping his arms around Rythian's torso, he pulled him up onto his feet. Unable to stand alone, Rythian allowed Lalna to hold him though he kept his face turned away from the scientist.

They stood together for a moment in that awkward embrace. Lalna slowly slid his hand down to squeeze Rythian's ass. The mage's reaction was immediate. He shoved Lalna away with both hands and stumbled back into the wall. He gripped at the rough bricks behind him, desperate to stay on his feet. "Stay away from me," he hissed when Lalna took a step towards him.

"Or what?" the scientist asked, pausing for a moment. "You aren't in a position to threaten me. Do you have something to offer?"

"I'm not giving you anything," Rythian growled. "Just stay the hell away from me." A rushing sound grew in his ears, which he did his best ignore. Rythian glanced at the teleporter, knowing it was likely the only way out of the tower. He could make it, he thought. Rythian lunged forward and again toppled towards the floor. This time he could not catch himself before his head smashed into the floor

The mage regained consciousness lying face down on Lalna's bed. Groaning, he pulled his knees towards his chest. Whatever drug Lalna had given him made him feel ill. He felt the bed dip beside him, but he kept his eyes shut even when he felt the scientist's fingers close around his hip. Maybe, he hoped, Lalna might leave him alone if he thought he was not fully conscious.

"Playing dead?" Lalna murmured, dragging him up onto his knees. He wrapped his arm around Rythian's neck, keeping him locked in place. Rythian's head throbbed at the sudden movement. Lalna caught the hem of his shirt and hiked it up. As he pulled the fabric higher, his fingers skidded over the muscles in Rythian's stomach and chest. It was too intimate, too much for Rythian to bear. He grabbed hold of Lalna's hand to stop him.

"Rythian," Lalna breathed near his ear, warning him. "Let go." Rythian froze at the command, long enough for the scientist to tug his shirt over his head. "Good boy." Lalna rewarded him with a kiss at the base of his neck, before coiling his arm around Rythian's neck again.

"Fuck off," Rythian bit out, his tone acidic. At that Lalna drew him closer, his free hand sliding up the inside of his thigh. "Get off of me," the mage demanded, reaching down to shove Lalna's wandering hand away from his crotch. Lalna ignored him and tightened his grip on his neck, until he was just shy of choking him. Rythian tugged at Lalna's forearm, trying to loosen his hold. His whole body was tense as Lalna undid his belt buckle. His button and fly were next, before that gentle hand pulled away all the remaining fabric.

"Get the hell off of me," Rythian lurched forward, again attempting to escape. He scratched at Lalna's arms, but was far too weak to break his grip. "Fucking stop!" he grew louder, fighting more desperately than he had before. A note of panic crept into his voice.

Again, Lalna put more pressure on his throat, now cutting off his air. "I thought you were going to be good for me," he reproached Rythian. "Let's start again." He loosened his grip, allowing him to breath again. Rythian slumped back against him and coughed."Now keep still."

The scientist spat on his fingers. Rythian flinched at the noise, but was momentarily obedient. "I fucking hate you," he muttered under his breath. Seconds later, he recoiled as Lalna's slick fingers pressed against his ass. "No!" Rythian barked out, twisting his entire body away from his touch. He strained against Lalna's arm, but he quickly exhausted himself.

He jumped when Lalna struck his ass, open hand falling hard on Rythian's skin. Lalna released him and shoved him forwards onto the mattress. He then seized the mage's wrists and pinned them together. Without any warning, he forced his fingers inside him. Rythian whined through gritted teeth, before burying his face in the crumpled sheets in an attempt to stifle any other sound.

Lalna took his time, watching the way Rythian shifted his hips as he tried to adjust to having his fingers knuckle deep inside him. He withdrew the digits only to push back again, fucking him slowly with his fingers. Rythian managed to keep incredibly quiet, allowing only a few barely audible whimpers to escape his lips. It was an impressive effort, but Lalna wanted him to be loud. He wanted to see Rythian completely lose control. The scientist curled his fingers, searching for just the right spot. He was rewarded at last by a muffled curse, but that still wasn't enough.

"Turn over. I want to see your pretty face," Lalna took Rythian's chin in his hand and ran his thumb over the raised scars. The comment was meant to sting, but Rythian barely reacted. The scientist flipped him onto his back. He removed Rythian's boots, jeans, and boxers in a few swift movements. The mage struggled with him over every article of clothing. Finally he fell back, naked. Yet again, Lalna hands slid over his wiry body, his smile smug as he studied his captive. He stroked Rythian's cheekbones and leaned in to kiss his scarred lips.

Surprisingly, Rythian lay still. Lalna had expected him try to bite his tongue, or at least try to dodge his advances. Instead, he allowed the kiss, not responding to his lips, but not rejecting him either. Lalna ran his hands through Rythian's hair when he pulled back, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. The gesture was tender, though Rythian was certain it was insincere.

"How many people have kissed you?" Lalna asked. Startled by the question, Rythian knitted his eyebrows together, trying to guess where this was going. "I'm sure that you haven't taken your mask off for many people. Are you afraid that they won't want to kiss a mouth that looks like
this?" Lalna pulled gently at the scarred corner of Rythian's mouth to make his point.

"Shut up," Rythian snapped. The scientist grinned wide at his response, knowing that he had touched a nerve.

"I think that beyond that, you're even more afraid of how they'll look at you when they finally see your face. It's not the shock or the horror that you fear. It's how they'll pity you." Lalna straddled Rythian's thighs, trapping him. "Even I pity you. Poor bastard, stuck hiding behind that mask."

Livid, the mage jerked up and headbutted him. Lalna gasped wordlessly for a moment, hands gingerly hovering just above his nose. "Shit," he hissed, his voice tight with pain. Rythian extricated himself from his clutches, quickly squirming off the bed and tumbling onto the floor. He paused on his knees, trying to summon enough strength to find his feet.

"Do you really think you're going to get away this time?" Lalna asked, his hand still inches above his injured nose. A small stream of blood inched out of his nostril and onto his lips. He rose and easily blocked Rythian's exit. The scientist reached down and twisted his fingers through Rythian's hair, yanking hard.. Holding him still, Lalna swung back and punched him in the face. He kicked him in the stomach before hoisting him back up onto the bed. Winded, Rythian lay limp as Lalna forced his knees up against his chest. His eyes flickered open when he felt the blunt head of Lalna's cock press against his ass.

Lalna slid inside him carefully, his cock now slick with lube. Rythian was incredibly tense and tight around him, and swore at the smallest movement of Lalna's hips. He grabbed hold of Lalna's lab coat and tried to push him away. "Stay fucking still," The scientist commanded, forcing four fingers into his mouth and pushing all the way to the back of his throat. Rythian gagged, his eyes wide, but stopped struggling. "There you go," Lalna said almost kindly, but did not remove his fingers. Slowly, he began to thrust in and out of the mage.

With both hands, Rythian twisted the sheets in his fists. His teeth grazed Lalna's knuckles as he seemed to momentarily consider biting down. Lalna began to pick up speed, hips slamming into him with a slap. He withdrew his fingers from Rythian's mouth to grasp his legs underneath his knees. The scientist spread his thighs a little wider so that he could press deeper still. "Oh, Christ," Rythian gasped, his voice unusually high, before he bit into his own fist, smothering every other noise.

The mage let his head fall back, finally surrendering. Though he no longer fought with Lalna, every muscle in his body remained taut. Lalna leaned over him, groaning as he lost himself to the overwhelming heat of Rythian's body. He came moments later, his hips pushing against Rythian a few final times before he pulled out. Finally free from the stinging pain, Rythian dropped his hand from his mouth. Lalna lay down close beside him. He traced his fingers around the socket of Rythian's rapidly swelling eye, before sliding his hand down Rythian's stomach.

"Look at how hard you are," Lalna pressed his palm against Rythian's erection, smiling. The mage moaned softly, willing himself not to buck up into his hands. "I can't leave you like this."

"Lalna," Rythian breathed, his voice barely above a whisper. "Stop."

The scientist paused for a moment, hand still poised above Rythian. "Fine," he eventually muttered and withdrew, hurriedly zipping up his trousers.

Credit to missigma on Ao3